Hardware for a sliding door installation

ABSTRACT

A sliding door installation in a doorway. Framed door panels are guided over threshold trackways and suspended from roller wheels in trackways at the top of the doorway. Corner brackets interconnect rails and stiles framing the door panels. Identical brackets interchangeably untilizable to carry roller wheels or floating guides interconnect the rails and stiles at the corners of the door panels. The brackets include three spurred lugs for securing the brackets to the rails and stiles. The rails and stiles are designed to be interconnected by the brackets to form a sturdy frame around the door panel edges.

United States Patent Cox [ July 10, 1973 HARDWARE FOR A SLIDING DOOR INSTALLATION 221 Filed: Sept. 30, 1971 [21] Appl.No.: 185,222

[52] [1.8. CI 287118936 H, 49/409, 49/411, 52/656 [51] Int. Cl. Fl6b 7/00 [58] Field of Search 287/l89.36 H; 160/381; 49/411, 410, 409; 52/475, 656

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,627,948 2/1953 Farr 160/381 X 2,058,173 10/1962 Brydolf 287/189.36 H X 3,261,129 7/1966 Brydolf et a1. 49/411 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,227,445 3/1960 France 287/l89.36 H

Primary Examiner-David J. Williamowsky Assistant Examiner-Wayne L. Shedd Attorney-J. Calvin Brown 5 7 ABSTRACT A sliding door installation in a doorway. Framed door panels are guided over threshold trackways and suspended from roller wheels in trackways at the top of the doorway. Corner brackets interconnect rails and stiles framing the door panels. Identical brackets interchangeably untilizable to carry roller wheels or floating guides interconnect the rails and stiles at the corners of the door panels. The brackets include three spurred lugs for securing the brackets to the rails and stiles. The rails and stiles are designed to be interconnected by the brackets to form a sturdy frame around the door panel edges.

6 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures PAIENIEU JUL 1 0 ms INVENTOR, ARTHUR 7: COX

Ho n 1111 Arron/v5 Y HARDWARE FOR A SLIDING DOOR INSTALLATION The instant patent application relates to subject matter also contained in another concurrently filed patent application filed by the same inventor. The latter application discloses and claims a difi'erent invention not disclosed and claimed inthe instant application.

This invention pertains to hardware for installing framed door panels in doorways in sliding door installations.

Sliding door installations are commonplace and various patents have been granted for improvements in this art. Two U.S. Pats. are herewith cited as being of general interest; No. 3,058,173 and No. 3,261,129, for their disclosures pertaining to sliding door installations.

The present invention pertains to improved comer brackets for sturdily interconnecting rails and stiles framing door panels and also pertains to the rails and stiles themselves and in combination with the corner brackets and door panels.

The present invention provides an improved corner bracket of the type utilized to interlock door panel rails and stiles to form a concealed corner butt joint at the door panel corners to provide a door panel frame of rails and stiles that is very sturdy. The brackets can be utilized at any corner to provide reinforcement for the door panel.

In accordance with the present invention, the brackets each include three spurred locking lugs for attaching the brackets to the stiles. These lugs, together with spear lugs of the bracket, lock to a stile and rail at four points to achieve the desired butt joint.

In general, brackets of the present invention include two' spurred locking lugs that engage alignment slots in the door stiles and an additional spurred locking lug that engages with the holding edges of the door stiles between rear walls of the stiles and the rear side of the door panels. The three locking lugs wedge portions of the material of the stiles. The rails and stiles include front, intermediate, and rear walls that form a channel receiving the respective door edges.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide corner brackets having three spurred lugs and adapted to interconnect rails and stiles that frame a door panel.

Another object of the present invention is to provide rails and stiles suited for utilization in conjunction with the brackets.

Other objects, advantages, features and results of the present invention will be evident in light of the description hereinafter of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates two sliding doors installed in the doorway of a wardrobe closet. I

FIG. 2 is -a fragmentary sectional view, taken along lines 2-2 of FIG. 1, illustrating two sliding doors suspended from upper trackways and guided over lower trackways of a threshold.

FIG. 3 is a view taken looking in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 2, which further illustrates the manner in which a framed door panel is provided with corner brackets, suspended from an upper trackway, and guided over a lower trackway.

FIG. 4 is a view, taken along lines 4-4 of FIG. 3, depicting certain features illustrative of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a view, taken along lines 55 of FIG. 3, depicting additional features of an actual embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a view, taken along lines 6-6 of FIG. 3, illustrating the upper rail in FIG. 3 in combination with a rail locking spear or lug and the top of the door panel.

FIG. 7 is a view, taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 3, illustrating the shape of the upper rail of FIG. 6 where seen in transverse cross section.

FIG. 8 is a view taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 3, illustrating the shape of a vertical stile when seen in transverse cross section.

FIG. 9 illustrates the combination of the rail, stile, and door panel and their arrangement in the structure depicted in FIG. 3, and is a view taken along line 9-9 thereof.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a sliding door installation such as may be installed in the doorway of a wardrobe closet. Door panels 10, 12 are suspended from roller wheels 14, 16 shown in FIG. 2, resting on trackways 18, 20 of a metal member 22 secured to the top of the doorway. The door panels are guided for sliding movements by guides 24 (FIG. 3) carried by brackets 26 attached to stiles 28 and rails 30. The guides 24 are situated in trackways of a threshold 32 at the bottom of the doorway.

The door panels 10, 12 are made of plywood, typically 0.25 inch thick, or any suitable material and are reinforced by two rails and two stiles fitted onto the panel edges. The rails 30 are fitted on the top and bottom edges and the stiles 28 are fitted on the vertical side edges of each door panel. The rails and stiles are constructed differently, the rails all being identical and the stiles all being identical.

In FIG. 2 it is shown that the brackets 26 are situated on the rear side of the door panels l0, 12 at both top and bottom corners of each door panel; there being four identical brackets for each door panel. The rails 30 are typically of a length about 1.5 inches shorter than the top and bottom panel edges and the stiles 28 are typically of a length about 0.125 inch shorter than the panel vertical edges. The rails 30, as shown in FIG. 7, each include a front wall 30a with a portion folded double, a rear wall 30b with a longitudinal holding flange 30c, and an intermediate wall 30d, so that the rail forms a longitudinal channel therein.

The stiles 28, as shown in FIG. 8, each include a front wall 28a, with a folded double gripping flange 28b, a rear wall 280, an intermediate wall 28d, and an additional wall 28e having an integral holding flange 28f terminating in a longitudinal holding edge. The walls of each stile form a longitudinal channel therein. The rails and stiles are made of resilient metal so that a door panel can be wedged into the channels thereof in the fashion indicated in FIGS. 6 and 9.

Each door panel 10, 12 has a guide in a bracket 26 at a respective bottom corner portion thereof and also has a roller wheel arrangement carried by a bracket 26 at a respective top corner portion thereof. These brackets all are mounted on the rear face of the respective door panel by bracket lugs that secure each bracket to a particular rail and a particular stile.

As seen in FIG. 3, the top and bottom rails 30 meet at concealed butt joints 34 with respective end portions of the vertical stile 28 at a location laterally inward of the adjacent vertical door panel edge. Also, as seen in FIG. 3, each bracket 26, made of metal, includes a generally flat base 26a including a rectangular area; a pair of spear lugs 26b, 26c, and three spurred locking lugs 26d, 26e, 26f. Each bracket has integral side legs 26g, 26h, 26i that are generally perpendicular to the base 26a and that together form a channel receiving either a plastic guide 24 or a roller wheel assembly 36.

The bracket legs 26g, 26h, 26i include flanges bent over as shown in FIG. 3, that cooperate to hold the guide 24 within the bracket so as to permit vertical movement of the guide relative to the bracket.

The bracket lugs 26d, 26 f project laterally from the rectangular base area and are essentially coplanar therewith. The bracket lugs 26e project laterally also and in addition are bent twice between the rectangular base areas and the lugs extremities so that each lug 26e is not coplanar with the lugs 26d, 26 f but is offset therefrom so that this particular lug (260) can be inserted as shown between the rear face of the door panel and the stile holding flange 28f The lugs 26d, 26e, 26f each have a spur, identified respectively as 26 j, 26k, and 261. The spurs 26j, 261 project from their lugs toward the door panel and the spur 26k projects from its lug away from the door panel.

Spear lugs 26b, 26c are identical and each is slotted near its tip and bent over thereat to form a spear tip, perpendicular to the balance of the spear lug, that projects toward the door panel. Each bracket has two forked legs 38 that are vertically spaced and situated at opposite ends of the bracket rectangular base area. Each forked leg 38 forms a U-shaped slot (see FIG. 4) and projects perpendicularly to the rectangular base area away from the door panel. In FIG. 3, one of the legs 38 of the lowermost bracket is not visible as it is situated behind the guide 24.

The uppermost bracket 26 carries an elongated support 40 having attached thereto the roller wheel 14 to form the roller wheel assembly 36. The support 40 has an elongated slot 40a terminating at one end at 40b and at the other end at a threaded nut 40c integral with the support. The nut 400 is a square shaped metal tab, shown in FIG. 5, having a threaded circular opening that projects away from the door panel and which is perpendicular to the bracket rectangular base area. A threaded machine screw 42 is threaded into the threaded opening of the nut 40c and the head of the machine screw is situated below the forked bracket leg 38 with the machine screw passing through the U- shaped slot thereof. The support 40 is guided for vertical movement by the bracket legs 26g, 26h, 26i. When the machine screw is rotated, the longitudinal positioning of the roller wheel 14 relative to the bracket 26 is readily established.

Each rail 30 has an alignment slot 30c (see FIGS. 3, 4, 6, and 7) near each end of its length that is located a predetermined distance from the adjacent rail end. Each alignment slot 30c is longer than the spear tip of the spear lugs 26b, 260. Each stile 28 has two vertically spaced alignment slots (not labelled) in the stile wall 28c that are each located a respective predetermined distance from the adjacent stile end. Each stile alignment slot is at least as wide as the width of the spurred lugs 26d, 26f

To assemble the brackets 26 with the rails 30 and stiles 28 in the manner indicated in the figures, the spear lugs 26c are inserted into the rail slots 30e. Simultaneously, the locking lugs 26d, 26fare inserted into the two alignment slots near the end of the stile 28 adjoining the rail 30 and the locking lug 26e is inserted between the holding edge of the holding flange 28f of the stile and the rear face of the door panel 10. The stile holding flange 28fand front wall 28a capture the door panel near the vertical edge thereof. The bracket is then pushed toward the stile (to the right in FIG. 3 to position the spurs 26j, 261 of the lugs 26d, 26f inside the stile wall 28e, and to position the ,spur 26k of the lug 26e inside the stile channel adjacent the holding edge of the holding flange 28 f Whenthis is done, the spear lugs 26c are positioned in the rail alignment slots 30c, as shown in FIG. 4, and the lugs 2611, 26e, 26f are positioned in the stile alignment slots and between the panel door and holding flange as aforesaid as indicated in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6. The lugs 26d, 26e, 26f deflect as their spurs are being positioned as shown in FIG. 3, then return toward their undeflected condition upon full assembly of each bracket with rail and stile. As a result, the material of the stile is wedged between the three lugs 26d, 26e, 26f.

An exemplary embodiment of the invention has been disclosed herein; however, it will be understood that various changes, modifications, and substitutions may be made by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. In combination: a stile and a rail disposed at right angles to form a corner having front and rear sides a bracket in said corner on the rear side thereof and secured to said rail and said stile, said bracket having lugs projecting laterally from opposite lateral sides thereof; one bracket side having first and second identical lugs at opposite ends thereof and another bracket side having third and fourth identical lugs at opposite ends thereof and a fifth lug located intermediate said third and fourth lugs; one of said first and second lugs being engaged in an alignment slot of said rail formed in a rear wall of said rail; each of said third and fourth lugs being engaged in respective alignment slots of said stile formed in a first stile wall that extends from a rear stile wall toward a front stile wall; said fifth lug engaging a portion of the edge of said first stile wall; said lugs securing said rail and and stile together so that one end of said rail forms a butt joint with one end of said stile; said third and fourth lugs each having a spur projecting toward the front stile wall and said fifth lug having a spur projecting toward said rear stile wall; said spurs of said third and fourth walls being located in a channel defined by said stile to lock said third and fourth lugs in said alignment slots of said first stile wall and said spur of said fifth lug being located in said channel of said stile in engagement with said portion of said edge of said first stile wall so as to wedge the material of the first stile wall between the third fourth and fifth lugs.

2. The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein said bracket includes an elongated portion between opposite bracket ends having laterally spaced integral lugs projecting perpendicularly to said lugs and away from said rear side of said corner, said legs being adapted to hold there between a slide element so that such slide element may slide over said bracket between said legs in a path parallel to an imaginary line extending between opposite ends of said bracket.

3. The combination set forth in claim 2 wherein said bracket includes a forked leg near each bracket end projecting perpendicularly to said lugs and generally said lugs away from said rear side of said corner.

4. A bracket adapted to be secured to a rail and a stile framing a corner of a panel, the bracket comprising: a body having first, second, third, fourth, and fifth laterally extending lugs projecting laterally away from the central longitudinal axis of said body; said first and second lugs being disposed on one lateral side of said body and said third, fourth, and fifth legs being disposed on another lateral side of said body; said first and second lugs being at opposite ends of said body and being identical to each other; said third and fourth lugs being at opposite ends of said body and being identical to each other; said fifth lug being longitudinally intermediate said third and fourth legs on said another lateral side of said body; said body having a central base area from which said lugs laterally project; said central base area including legs formed on opposite lateral sides of the central longitudinal axis of of said body; said legs extending perpendicularly from said central base area to a first side of said body to form a channel for receiving an element so that such element may be moved longitudinally within said channel; a spur on each of said third and fourth lugs projecting toward a second side of said body which is opposite said first side of said body; a spur on said fifth lug projecting toward said first side of said body; the arrangement being such that opposite halves thereof on opposite sides of a transverse body axis of said body that is orthogonal to said central longitudinal axis are symmetrically identical about such transverse axis; said fifth lug including a portion having the spur thereof which is offset from said third and fourth lugs in the direction of said second side of said body.

5. The bracket set forth in claim 4 wherein said bracket includes first and second longitudinally spaced forked lugs arranged along an imaginary longitudinal line passing between said laterally spaced legs; said forked lugs each projecting perpendicularly from said central base area toward said one side of said bodies.

6. The bracket set forth in claim 4 wherein each of said first and second lugs includes a spear at the end thereof formed from a lug portion that projects perpendicularly from said central base area; the tip of each spear pointing in the lateral direction toward said another lateral side of said body. 

1. In combination: a stile and a rail disposed at right angles to form a corner having front and rear sides a bracket in said corner on the rear side thereof and secured to said rail and said stile, said bracket having lugs projecting laterally from opposite lateral sides thereof; one bracket side having first and second identical lugs at opposite ends thereof and another bracket side having third and fourth identical lugs at opposite ends thereof and a fifth lug located intermediate said third and fourth lugs; one of said first and second lugs being engaged in an alignment slot of said rail formed in a rear wall of said rail; each of said third and fourth lugs being engaged in respective alignment slots of said stile formed in a first stile wall that extends from a rear stile wall toward a front stile wall; said fifth lug engaging a portion of the edge of said first stile wall; said lugs securing said rail and and stile together so that one end of said rail forms a butt joint with one end of said stile; said third and fourth lugs each having a spur projecting toward the front stile wall and said fifth lug having a spur projecting toward said rear stile wall; said spurs of said third and fourth walls being located in a channel defined by said stile to lock said third and fourth lugs in said alignment slots of said first stile wall and said spur of said fifth lug being located in said channel of said stile in engagement with said portion of said edge of said first stile wall so as to wedge the material of the first stile wall between the third fourth and fifth lugs.
 2. The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein said bracket includes an elongated portion between opposite bracket ends having laterally spaced integral lugs projecting perpendicularly to said lugs and away from said rear side of said corner, said legs being adapted to hold there between a slide element so that such slide element may slide over said bracket between said legs in a path parallel to an imaginary line extending between opposite ends of said bracket.
 3. The combination set forth in claim 2 wherein said bracket includes a forked leg near each bracket end projecting perpendicularly to said lugs and generally said lugs away from said rear side of said corner.
 4. A bracket adapted to be secured to a rail and a stile framing a corner of a panel, the bracket comprising: a body having first, second, third, fourth, and fifth laterally extending lugs projecting laterally away from the central longitudinal axis of said body; said first and second lugs being disposed on one lateral side of said body and said third, fourth, and fifth legs being disposed on another lateral side of said body; said first and second lugs being at opposite eNds of said body and being identical to each other; said third and fourth lugs being at opposite ends of said body and being identical to each other; said fifth lug being longitudinally intermediate said third and fourth legs on said another lateral side of said body; said body having a central base area from which said lugs laterally project; said central base area including legs formed on opposite lateral sides of the central longitudinal axis of of said body; said legs extending perpendicularly from said central base area to a first side of said body to form a channel for receiving an element so that such element may be moved longitudinally within said channel; a spur on each of said third and fourth lugs projecting toward a second side of said body which is opposite said first side of said body; a spur on said fifth lug projecting toward said first side of said body; the arrangement being such that opposite halves thereof on opposite sides of a transverse body axis of said body that is orthogonal to said central longitudinal axis are symmetrically identical about such transverse axis; said fifth lug including a portion having the spur thereof which is offset from said third and fourth lugs in the direction of said second side of said body.
 5. The bracket set forth in claim 4 wherein said bracket includes first and second longitudinally spaced forked lugs arranged along an imaginary longitudinal line passing between said laterally spaced legs; said forked lugs each projecting perpendicularly from said central base area toward said one side of said bodies.
 6. The bracket set forth in claim 4 wherein each of said first and second lugs includes a spear at the end thereof formed from a lug portion that projects perpendicularly from said central base area; the tip of each spear pointing in the lateral direction toward said another lateral side of said body. 